


Found Family, Family Found

by EmmyDrakon



Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Canon Divergence, F/M, Family, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, In My Feels, Pathfinder - Freeform, Rusty Quill Gaming - Freeform, i'm in love with Zolf and projecting, let me have my pirate husband, rqg, the al-Tahan's really are a shit show
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:55:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29105946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmyDrakon/pseuds/EmmyDrakon
Summary: Sometimes family is the family you find. Other times it finds you. Still others are the times that you pushed it away and it all came crashing back at once.Or: The al-Tahan's are a garbage fire, of course they have skeletons like this in their closet.
Relationships: Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan/Original Character, Sasha Racket/Original Character, Zolf Smith/Original Character
Kudos: 8





	Found Family, Family Found

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I started writing this Summer 2020 before I had even made it to the Prague arc in the podcast, so it's wildly canon-divergent and I don't even care lol. 
> 
> I was seized with the need to interact more closely with the characters, and this happened.  
> It isn't 100% complete or even completely fleshed out, so it will be the subject of re-working and rewriting, but I wanted to get it out there to see what folks thought! (And it'll make me keep writing it lol)

The party were led to a massive, sporadically lit warehouse where inexplicable machinery lay scattered throughout the room. It was filled with the constant hum of engines and tools, punctuated by the occasional gruff voice or sharp clatter. Those noises died as the group staggered in. 

Zolf was painfully aware of the image they made - a posh halfling with mussed hair and tear-stained cheeks, a tousled dwarf with desperate eyes, and a massive orc in pink plate with a lifeless young woman hanging from her shaking arms. 

In the center stood a massive metal structure surrounded by scaffolding. The cleric leading them called up to the top of the monolith.

“Strangers here, boss.”

A shape detached itself from the outline of the thing, apparently looking down at them.

Stomach turning, Zolf morbidly hoped they could see the dotted pattern of Sasha’s life leaking away onto their shop floor. 

“Please, we need your help.”

The dark silhouette paused, then took a daring leap from the scaffolding, caught a nearby bar, and with a spin and a flip landed neatly on bare, hairy feet in front of them. They stepped into the light, revealing large mechanic’s goggles, an oversized hair scarf, and filthy coveralls. Hidden eyes slid over their party, then the person sighed heavily and gave a sharp nod. 

“Fine.” She, as her voice revealed, reached up and tugged her goggles to hang around her neck. 

The room heard Hamid’s breath catch in his throat. 

“Come with me.” Expression unchanged, the woman turned and strode into the compound, leading them to a small metal door at the back of the garage and into a dim hallway, with doors lining either side. She quickly went three doors down on the left and swung one open, then stepped aside. “Put her on the bed, then back up. I have to see what I’m working with. _Oi!_ ” she shouted down the corridor “Bring my bag, and plenty of water.” 

An answering shout echoed in the affirmative as the team quickly carried Sasha to the bed on the opposite wall. Azu laid her down as gently as she could. Hamid took a post in the corner, and Zolf hovered anxiously nearby.

The stranger pushed past all of them and bent over Sasha. Without looking up, she spoke, apparently to Zolf. “Help me get her jacket off.”

He hurried to obey, carefully disentangling the sleeves from her wrist sheaths and removing those as well. 

“The rest of you, out. Don’t think she’d want an audience.”

“But-”

“I am a cl-”

“ _Out._ ”

Azu’s insistence and Hamid’s weak protest died immediately. He meekly shuffled from the room, guided by her large hand on his shoulder. 

The two stood and paced alternately in the corridor. A halfling rushed past them at one point, with a large brown bag. Another followed with a bucket of water, and then the first returned with an armful of rags and towels. All questions went unanswered, and the two were left entirely to their own thoughts.

Azu pressed herself back against the wall, aiming to block the least amount of the narrow hallway as she can. A quick glance told her that Hamid was doing the same.

A longer look made it more clear that he was trying to melt right through the metal.

“Hamid? You ok?”

“Hm?” 

“You’ve gone pale, are you alright?”

A non committal hum. 

“I’m sure Sasha will be fine. You trust these people, do you not?”

“I-... yes. Yes I do.”

“How did you know of this place?”

“I, um. I’ve heard good things. From people. That it’s a good refuge.” Hamid’s empty stare escalated to wringing hands. 

Azu’s voice dropped to a murmur, the voice she used with skittish patients and bystanders. “You know that woman in there.”

“I-i did. Quite a long time ago.” Hamid’s voice pitched upward. “It’s in the past, the important thing is Sasha, right now,” he snapped, cutting off her line of questioning. 

Azu pressed her lips together and dipped her chin in deference. If Hamid did not want to speak on it, he wouldn’t. For now, at least. 

And so they settled into tense silence, listening for every sound drifting from behind the closed door. 

Inside the room, Zolf and the strange woman worked quickly and efficiently to clean, stitch, and bind Sasha’s wounds. Only once they were done, when every bandage was tied, did they take a moment to breathe, and Zolf properly examined their potential rescuer.

She was a halfing woman, young and covered in machine oil, with olive skin, round cheeks and large brown eyes. She wore dirty gray coveralls, her goggles still swung from her neck, and her head was wrapped in what used to be a colorful scarf. The coveralls were now spattered with blood, as well as grease, and her sleeves were rolled to her elbows. She dunked her hands in the remaining clean water, then splashed some on her face, rubbing vigorously at a stubborn smear on her forehead. Then, as she toweled off, she stepped back from the bowl and nodded to Zolf, then reached up and yanked away her headscarf with a sigh, revealing a veritable mass of dark curly hair that fell almost to her shoulders and sprang away from her head in every direction. 

The most notable feature, however, revealed in fullness by the cleansing water, was the thick, vicious scar that crept from the right corner of her mouth, almost to her ear in the twisted imitation of a lopsided, satirical grin. That side of her face seemed to pucker and droop. When she spoke, her cheek never moved quite right.

Zolf nodded his thanks and stepped up to the water, rinsing himself as best he could. He sighed, burying his face in his towel momentarily. “Thank you.” He raised his eyes. “We owe you, big time.”

The woman shook her head, one hand still fluffing and combing through her tangled hair. “I’m not about to let anyone die, no matter my suspicions. I’ve got no right to be judging anyway.” She let her hand fall with a tired breath. “She should be alright, but you’ll be here for a few days at least. Even with help from magic. She can’t be moved for a good while, to keep things together. Or it could get infected, can’t be dealing with that on the road..”

“Right.. “ Zolf nodded slowly. “I suppose we will have to impose on your hospitality a bit longer then.”

“Yea, I suppose so. Got rooms aplenty, just don’t be in the way. Got too much going on for anyone to be underfoot.”

“Of course.” Zolf stepped toward the door. “Can I..?”

“Might as well.” She turned away again, covering Sasha with a light blanket. 

Zolf opened the door and stepped into the hallway, trying to muster an encouraging smile. He cut off the barrage of concerned inquiries. “She’s alright, she should be fine. But she can’t be traveling just now, so we’re a bit stuck at the moment. Our host has said we can stay as long as we’re not ‘underfoot’ as it were.”

The party all stepped into the room, offering the appropriate gratitude. 

“Pardon me, but I don’t believe we ever caught your name,” Azu offered with a wary glance at Hamid.

“Oh, you’re right, and we never introduced ourselves either.” Zolf put a hand first on his chest, then began to gesture around the room. The woman nodded to each member in turn as they were introduced. “I’m Zolf, Smith. This is Azu, Paladin of Aphrodite. Your patient is Sasha, and this-”

“Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan,” their host cut in, the pronunciation rolling off her tongue more naturally than her English. 

Zolf stopped short. “Yes, I- oh, do you…? Do you two know each other then?” He glanced between both, taking in the sudden sternness of their host and the white face of his companion. “Hamid?”

All at once, Hamid was reduced to the nervous, stuttering aristocrat he’d been at the start of their time together. “I- ah, yes, we are, ah, _familiar_ , as it were. Everyone, may I present, ah, Halima- well…” He stumbled, then gathered himself. “Halima Saleh Haroun al-Tahan. My older sister,” he declared firmly, then promptly withered under her impassive gaze.

“I don’t get to claim that name. Not anymore. Call me Hal.” She held a courteous hand out to Zolf to shake, who recovered far more quickly from the shock than Azu, whose wide eyes were fixed on Hamid’s hunched shoulders.

Zolf shook her hand firmly, still switching stunned eyes between the two halflings. “I-I’m sorry, I’ve no idea what’s going on here and why the air just turned cold, but... no matter the history, we’re grateful for your help.”

Hal offered him a tight smile. “You lot can have the two rooms up the hall from here, they’re all empty. Dinner’s in a couple hours, I’ll send someone for you.”

“Could I- I don’t want to be rude but, I want to stay with Sasha,” Zolf said quietly. 

Hal’s shoulders and smile relaxed to something a bit more genuine. “Yea, alright. I’ll have a cot made up, and I’ll bring you your meal myself.”

“Thank you”

After a tense goodbye, Hal left the room and pointed the others to their quarters, then promptly disappeared. The adventurers cleaned up and changed quietly, tension still evident from Hamid’s anxiety. Zolf stayed at Sasha’s side, occasionally fussing with her comfort in any way he could. He straightened her blankets, set her jacket next to her on the bed, and tucked her favorite dagger under the pillow. When he ran out of things to fiddle with, he dragged his chair close to her bedside and watched each labored breath.

After a while, Hal returned with a platter of food and two plates. She had deserted her ruined coveralls for a long tunic with cuffed half sleeves, slim trousers, and a scuffed leather belt, and her hair was tied partially back under a wide strip of cloth. “It’s not much, but it’s hot.” 

Zolf took his portion gratefully. “I’ve certainly eaten worse on our journeys. Thank you.” He set it on his knees and began to eat. 

Hal pulled up a chair next to him and picked at her food. “Any changes?”

“No. She at least seems to be resting alright.”

Neglecting her plate, Hal leaned over her patient and put a gentle hand on her forehead. “No fever yet… good sign.” 

“Aye.”

Hal took a couple of small bites. “Can I ask how long you’ve been together?”

Zolf raised an eyebrow. “Together?”

A vague gesture. “The group, you and her, any of you. You’re obviously close.”

“Oh, right.” Zolf hummed quietly. “No, no.. Well it’s a bit of a complicated question. I ran a mercenary business. I hired a guy named Bertie, we ran into Sasha, got into a bit of a scrap together. And then, well, Hamid joined us as well and we started working together. But since then… Well, a lot has happened. I left for a while. Bertie died. Azu joined. They had.. A really bad time in the interim. Then we joined back up again. It was technically like… almost 2 years ago now?”

“Ah, so it’s a job?”

“... It was a job. At first. But now..” Zolf sighed with a tight, helpless smile. “It stopped being about the job a long time ago. Got a lot bigger than that. And I got attached, I’ll admit. Sasha and Hamid particularly.. Hamid was such a pansy when I first met ‘im. Now even I’m not sure I could take him in a fight on a good day. And Sasha’s downright deadly, she is. And she cares, in her own way.” Zolf fell into reminiscence for a moment, then spoke again, watching Sasha’s slow breaths. “Would you believe the first time we took her to a greenhouse, she nearly fell over backwards trying to look at everything at once. She’d never seen anything so green before.”

“Really? Other London, then?”

“Right on. The countryside, the sea, those were all even more baffling.” He laughed again. “She’s a good kid.” A pause filled the air. “Hamid is a good man too. Rather like him.”

“Mm.”

“I’ll admit, I don’t know what happened between you two, or when, but he’s done alot for us. He’s a good one.”

“He certainly used to be.” Abruptly, Hal stood, taking her plate with her. “Things to do, sorry.”

“Right.”

Almost two days passed this way. Zolf sat with Sasha, joined occasionally by Hamid, Hal, and Azu. Hal came and went, sometimes vanishing into her various responsibilities for a few hours at a time, but remained attentive to her guests. Most of them. 

Much of her time with them was spent at Sasha’s bedside, monitoring her condition and swapping stories with Zolf. She shared her most recent invention disasters, while he regaled her with their harrowing journey across the channel in a driftwood boat. Both left many stories untold, though, and the other knew it. They spoke for long hours in hushed tones, ever watchful over their patient. 

A soft knock roused Zolf once again. “Ay?”

Hal stepped in, sporting her usual coveralls. “Zolf, you need sleep, love.” She stepped close behind his chair and dropped a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Cmon, I’ve had that cot made up for you, you can sleep in here.”

“But, Sasha…”

“I’ll stay with her. And you’ll be here too, but what use are you half-dead of exhaustion?” Hal hooked a hand under his arm and began to tug him back toward the simple cot that stood against the back of the room.

With reluctance, Zolf allowed himself to be tugged along and fussed over. But she’d been right - he was asleep before he hit the pillow.

Hal carefully removed his outer layers on the way down and set his glaive at the foot of the bed. She slipped off his boots, then paused. Shining adamantine feet glinted up at her. She’d never admit it, but a thrill ran down her spine at the sight of the intricate metalwork, twined together with magic. With some effort, she lifted his legs onto the cot and covered him with a thin blanket. Once his comfort was ensured, she took up his post next to Sasha’s bed. 

An hour had barely passed when Sasha began to groan and shift. Hal leaned forward. “Sasha? Can you hear me, love?”

“Mmm… Ham.. Hamid? Azu? Z-Zolf?” Sasha mumbled plaintively. 

“Sasha, love, you’re safe.” Hal stood over her, fluttering soothing hands over her shoulders and forehead.

“Azu?” Her voice pitched to panic. Bleary eyes flew open, and her hands flew forward to thump Hal in the chest. “Zolf!”

Hal grunted with the impact, but leaned into it. “Sasha, you’re safe. Zolf is here, Hamid and Azu, they’re all here, you’re safe!” 

“Where-.. Where is he, where are they? Who are you?”

Hal caught her hands in the air, pressing them together. “My name is Hal, I’ve been taking care of you.” 

“Get Zolf, bring him here.”

“I’ve only just got him to sleep love, he’s been awake nearly 48 straight hours worrying about you.”

“Bring someone here _now_.”

“Alright, alright, stay put, dear, don’t pull your stitches.” Hal reluctantly stepped away from the bed, backing up to Zolf’s cot and giving him a gentle shake. “Zolf, mate, Sasha’s woken up.”

“Mm..?”

“She’s awake, love, she’s asking for you. Doesn’t trust me a whit.”

Finally, Zolf dragged himself awake, rolling out of the bed before he was even fully alert. “Sasha, it’s alright, we’re safe here.” He stumped to the abandoned chair and dropped into it, grabbing her hand. 

“Zolf…”

“You’re alright, we found help for you. Hal is… she’s a friend.” Zolf rubbed his free hand down his face, then dropped it to hers, squeezing gently. “You were hurt bad, kid. Wasn’t anything I could do for you after that fight. Azu either..” His voice caught in his throat. “You were in a really bad way, Sash. But Hamid said he knew someone nearby that could help us, so we brought you here.”

Sasha’s breathing slowed, and her panic made way for groggy pain. “Ahh.. ok, I remember a little now, I think. Are Azu and Hamid ok?” 

“They’re fine, they’re just down the hall. We’ll let them know you’ve woken up, make them come visit.”

She shifted to look at Hal. “Sorry, you know, for hitting you.”

Hal shook her head. “Nothing to worry about, love, I can take my lumps. But I need you to lie still, or we’ll have to redo those stitches.”

“Right, ok…” Sasha relaxed slightly. “... Zolf have you really been awake that long?”

Zolf gave a noncommittal grunt and shrug. “I mean, just making sure you don’t go dying on us.”

Crossing her arms, Hal rolled her eyes. “Never let any of the others take a shift, just sat in this chair for nearly two days, waiting for you.”

Sasha tugged away from his grasp with wide eyes. “Then, you go sleep, alright? I’m fine, I’m good, I’m all good now. I’m sorry for waking you.”

Standing with a groan, Zolf shook his head at her. “Nah. After everything... My job to look after you.” He stepped back across the room and sat down on his cot. Briefly, he took a moment to survey his state of dress, inventory his belongings at the foot of the bed, then gave Hal a small nod.

She nodded back with a smile. “Both of you, rest. I’ll be around if you need anything.” With that, she stepped quietly out of the door and closed it behind her. 

Over the next few days, Sasha grew stronger and more impatient with staying in bed. Zolf and Hal did their best to reason with her, and Hamid and Azu tried to assist with entertainment, but eventually she could no longer be contained. Bit by bit, Hal began taking her on walks in the halls, farther and farther each time. They’d walk side by side, with Sasha’s hand on Hal’s shoulder, usually in silence, or speaking quietly. 

Today was their longest walk yet - Hal took her all the way to the other end of the building, to a small door that let out onto a massive open air deck where she said they tested their airborne inventions. Today it was empty; the high winds had made it too dangerous for tests. But it made for an invigorating breeze for the two strollers.

Hal led Sasha to a row of crates near the railing and helped her sit down, facing out over an incomparable view of the landscape below. 

“Hal?”

“Yeah?”

“I wanted to ask… Well, I wanna ask something kinda personal? If that’s ok?” 

Without turning her head, Hal nodded. “Alright love, ask away then.”

“What happened with you and Hamid?”

A pause.

“Like, I know you two are brother and sister, right? And I know something went bad with you, and I know Azu sort of acts like she knows it and Zolf seems to have some part of the story at least but.. I haven’t the faintest clue what’s going on and none of them will tell me. Hamid’s been moping the whole time and Azu’s really on edge and she gets so _mothery_ when she’s worried-.” Sasha bit off the end of her rambling and side-eyed Hal nervously. “I get if you don’t wanna talk about it, I do.. I just don’t like not knowing. With being from Other London and all.. And with everything that’s happened… Not knowing gets you killed and secrets just.. They only fuck shit up.. And I know this isn’t like that but-” She cut herself off again. “Right, sorry, I’ll stop. Stupid question.”

Hal took a long breath in. “No, it’s not stupid, Sasha, I… You have a right to know, as much as any of them. It was public enough.. At least the version they know.. That was very public.”

“Well, if it matters, I’d like to know your version then.”

Hal smiled, looking at her for the first time. “It does matter, actually.. Thank you.” Another deep breath. “So, I was the eldest of the al-Tahan’s, right? Big family, money, aristocratic, all that. But the difference between being the eldest daughter, rather than the eldest son, is that I was only good for marrying advantageously for the family.”

“What’s that, then? What’s you getting married got to do with anything?”

“Connections, power, alliances. So my parents chose a husband for me from another powerful family to whom they wished to be connected. But he was a right proper ass, Sasha, I tell you. A real brute of a man. Hadn’t even known him before we got married but after.... Well I went running back to my family for help after about 6 months. But they wouldn't.” Hal clasped her hands in her lap, looking straight ahead. “They said it was my duty to stay, to perform my role as Fadil’s wife, for his family and for mine. Hamid and I had always been thick as thieves. He was my favorite sibling; We told each other everything. And as the second eldest son he had some pull. So I went to Hamid privately after that and he…” She pulled a hissing breath in through her teeth. “He just told me to wait it out, do my duties, it’ll get better once we have children!” 

Barking an incredulous laugh, Hal stood, swinging anxious arms at her sides. “So I took off. Made it about 50 miles before Fadil’s people found me, brought me back. At that point it had been reported in the papers, what was happening. But only his perspective. The frantic, doting husband on the hunt for his disturbed wife who’d run away, ‘a nervous breakdown’ they said. ‘The stress of her position’ they said..” 

Hal turned to face Sasha again, meeting her concerned eyes. “After that…” Hal slumped and waved a dismissive hand. “Well it got worse. Without details… He twisted the papers to make me look the worst of the worst. Ruined my reputation, which, when you’re a noblewoman, that’s about all you have.” She shoved her hands in her back pockets. “It got so bad that my family disowned me entirely, denounced my existence, struck me from the books. Finally got that divorce I wanted, though.” A desperate, dry laugh forced its way from her throat. “So I ran again, with nothing but the clothes on my back and.. A couple of final reminders from my loving husband.” She brushed her fingers across the scar that marred the right side of her face. 

“He gave you that?” Sasha finally spoke. Her eyes were wide with shock and her shoulders were stiff, but she pressed her mouth in a firm, composed line.

“Yea, the last time I saw him. He was angry that I wouldn’t smile… Showed him, though, got him a knee to the nads before he could do the other side.”

They both chuckled weakly and trailed into silence. 

“So.. Hamid didn’t help you, didn’t believe you. That’s why you won’t speak to him.”

“... Yea.”

“Have you spoken to him since?”

“After a bit less than a year, I found this place. Found success, support. I wrote to him, told him that I was ok, and if he wanted to be family again he could write to me here.”

Sasha’s eyes shone wetly with anger. “.. He didn’t respond.”

“Never a peep.”

“That-” Sasha sputtered, crossing her arms across her chest with a wince and rocking in her seat. “Slimey little.. Bloody chump.. Poor excuse for a brother… But he’s so nice!?” She landed helplessly on her final statement. “He’s always been good and kind and clever and how could he do that??”

Hal shrugged. “Maybe he grew a spine finally, I dunno. But he never had the balls to come crawling back to me.”

“Sasha? Hal?” A man’s voice called from the door. 

Hal turned to call back while Sasha scrubbed at her eyes. “Out here, you alright?”

Zolf came clanking into view, his beard whipping in the wind. “There you are, you’ve been gone a while. Just wanted to come check.” He stopped next to Sasha’s crate and gave her an inquisitive look. “You alright?”

“Yea, fine.. Just sore,” she replied, looking at the ground.

Zolf raised his silent question to Hal, who shrugged. 

“Long walk. We came out to enjoy the view, take the air, all that. Been talking a bit, that’s all.”

Zolf sighed. “Right then, you girls can keep your secrets. But come back in, alright?’

At their murmured assents, Zolf took up position on one side of Sasha, while Hal took the other. Together they made their way slowly back to their rooms. 

On their journey, they met Hamid in the hall. “Oh, hello, ah Sasha, Zolf, and, ah, Hal.” He cleared his throat. “Sasha, it is so good to see you up and about! How are you feeling?”

“M’good. Fine,” she mumbled.

“Oh. Good! Yes.” Hamid was notably caught off guard. “Ah, is-is everything alright? 

“Tired. Wanna go back to bed, I think.. Zolf.” 

Hal stood quietly, watching Hamid look in confusion bordering on distress between Sasha and Zolf. 

Zolf cut a glance at both of the women before giving Hamid a slight shake of his head.

Deflating, Hamid stepped aside. “Yes, yes of course. Rest well, then.” 

The three moved carefully past him and made their way back to Sasha’s room, lowering her gently back down on the bed. 

As she settled in, with Hal fussing with the bedclothes, Zolf stood back quietly. He looked between the two again. “Hal, I’d like to speak with Sasha in private, please.”

Hal paused her movements, then nodded. “Yea, sure.” She gave Sasha an encouraging smile and a final fluff of the blanket before leaving the room.

“Sasha.” Zolf crossed his arms.

“Ay?”

“What the hell was that?”

“What was what?”

“That! In the hall! You were completely cold to Hamid out of nowhere. Did Hal say something?”

“It’s fine, I’m just tired.”

“You’re not just tired Sasha.” Zolf dragged his chair to the side of the bed and dropped into it with a huff. “I know you better than that. I’ve seen you tired, and I’ve seen you when you have a problem with somebody. That -” he pointed to the door. “Was a problem. With Hamid, of all people.”

Sasha worried at the blankets, keeping her eyes fixed on her busy hands. 

“Sasha. What did Hal tell you?”

“The truth, alright? She told me the truth, what really happened between her and Hamid, why she’s not an al-Tahan anymore.”

“Ok-”

“He was _awful_ to her, Zolf!” Sasha burst out, finally meeting his gaze with eyes filled with sadness and anxiety. “He let her be treated so horribly and _none_ of it was her fault and-”

“Oi, hey, slow down! What are you talking about?” Zolf leaned forward, reaching for her hands, but she quickly pulled them away. 

“She had this husband and he was terrible, a real piece of work. She asked Hamid to help her and he _wouldn’t_ , he just told her to wait it out! So she tried to get away and it didn’t work and she got run out.. He _hurt_ her, Zolf.” Sashe was almost in tears. “That scar on her face.. That husband did it to her. For no reason!” 

Zolf leaned back in his chair, raising his hands defensively. “I-.. Sasha, there has to be more to this.”

“This _is_ the more! It was all in the papers, but it was all wrong, Zolf!”

Dragging coarse hands across his face, Zolf took a deep breath. “Ok I… I’m going to talk to Hamid about this.”

“Don’t bother,” Sasha grumbled. “He’ll just say it was her fault again. He doesn’t want to help her, he never did.”

“People change, Sasha,” Zolf replied gruffly. “They obviously haven’t spoken in quite a while.”

“Whatever, do what you want, then.” Sasha rolled carefully over onto her side to face the wall, pulling the blanket up with a wince. 

Sighing, Zolf stood and exited the room, stepping down to the neighboring door. He knocked, then pushed it open. “Hamid?”

The halfling in question started, looking wide eyed at his visitor. He was seated on his bed, hands clasped tightly in his lap. “Ah, yes? Zolf? How can I help?”

“Let’s talk.”

“Ah. Yes.” 

Zolf stepped inside and closed the door, taking a seat on an opposite chair. “I wasn't going to dig into this, it’s not my business. But now it's affecting team relations. So, I’ll ask: What’s the issue with Hal?”

“Ah, is that what that was about? Ha, I see.. Did she.. What did Halima tell her?”

“Some pretty troubling stuff, that honestly I’m inclined to believe with how the nobles like to write their papers. But I also know you, Hamid, and I’d like to think you didn’t behave so poorly back then.”

Hamid straightened indignantly. “Now, see here, Zolf, please. That was a-a complicated situation and-”

“He gave her that scar, Hamid.”

“H-he what?” Hamid’s voice pitched upward.

“The scar. You can’t tell me you haven’t noticed. She told Sasha her husband did that to her, the last time she saw him.” Zolf leaned forward, keeping eye contact with his distressed friend. “Now to do that to a young woman takes a special kind of bastard, so I’m inclined to believe everything she has to say about how he treated her. What I don’t want to believe is that you would let your own sister languish in a situation like that, and then be booted to the streets on his word alone.”

“I-I-”

“What happened between you two is your business. I know you as who you are now, and that’s nothing to sneeze at.” Zolf stood. “But if there’s one thing I’ve learned traveling with this band of fools is that your past will _always_ come back to bite you in the arse. So get it dealt with, Hamid. I don’t particularly care how. Talk to Hal, to Sasha, but don’t let this sit.” He trailed off, then added quietly, “You still have your family, Hamid. Don’t waste it. And… Well, Sasha doesn’t need any more reasons to doubt us.” With that, he left, wandering down the corridors back toward the deck.

A day passed with this tension hovering over the group. Hal was quieter, and didn’t come around as much. Sasha spoke only to Zolf, only if she needed something, and flatly refused to see Hamid. Azu bounced from member to member, trying helplessly to get _one_ , any of these emotionally constipated fools to talk to her, with no success.

Desperate for relief from the tension, Zolf wandered down to the garage that afternoon. He stepped into the massive workshop, scanning the structures for Halima. He spotted her feet sticking out from a side panel a good 10 feet off the ground.

“Alright, Hal?”

There was some clattering, and then Hal’s dirty face replaced her feet. “Oh, alright Zolf? What brings you down here?”

“Needed a break. ..Mind if I stick around?”

“Not at all, have a seat.”

Zolf sat on the indicated crates and leaned back against the wall, letting tired eyes fall shut. He let the sounds of the garage float around him - the grating creaks of metal, clang of tools, and rumble of engines. 

“Everything ok down there?” Hall called down again, seemingly from inside her project. 

“Not.. entirely. But it’s nothing to worry about.”

The sounds of tools stopped for a moment. “Sasha?”

“Healing, but won’t speak to Hamid anymore.”

“... I’m sorry.”

“She asked you for the truth, you gave it to her. Can’t blame you for that.”

“Yeah, but…” A sigh, then the tool sounds resumed. 

Conversation ceased for a while, and Zolf relaxed into a near-meditative state, until something landed firmly on his knee. He started, opening his eyes and scanning for the disturbance. One sweep, then another, then lower-

With curly brown hair, brown eyes, a gap-toothed grin, and hands the size of a white gold piece, a tiny halfling smiled up at him. Standing on wavering little legs, the child used Zolf’s knees to steady himself.

“Ah. Hello, then.”

“Hah!”

Zolf went to sit up straight, but froze immediately when his movement seemed to destabilize his stance. “Ah, um, where’s your mum, then? You supposed to be here?”

“Mah!”

“Alright, excellent. Um.” Zolf cast about for assistance, but the garage was deserted. Hal seemed to have burrowed beyond earshot. He was alone with this halfling toddler that could apparently teleport. “Can’t let you wander around here, it’s probably dangerous… Care to join me, then?” When there was no protest, Zolf leaned down and carefully lifted the chubby child into his lap. “There we go, sit there then.” 

The child grinned a gummy grin and hummed happily, promptly burying his tiny fingers in Zolf’s beard. 

“Oh, alright then lad, try not to pull. Ah!” Zolf winced a bit, but made no move to remove him. “Guess not many halflings have much in the way of beards, ay?”

The boy responded with contented babbling. They continued in this way for several minutes, Zolf murmuring inane things and receiving the wisdom of children in his delightful gibberish. It was in this way, with tiny fingers tangled in his plait and exploring his armor, that Hal found Zolf still sitting on his crate.

“O-oh, oh my gods, what in the…” Hal quickly scrambled down from her machinery, yanking off her goggles and trotting towards the pair. 

“Hal, hi, this little guy just sort of found me an-”

“Mama!”

Zolf looked in surprise at his new friend, who was now wriggling toward the edge of his seat with arms outstretched. Then he looked back at Hal.

Behind the veneer of dirt, Hal’s face drained of color. But she continued on her path toward the pair. “What are you doing here, ducky? How’d you lose Nana?” Her voice wavered, but she scooped him into her arms nonetheless.

“Fin’ Mama!”

“Came to find me, eh? Well you found someone else too, it seems, giving up all of Mummy’s secrets aren’t ya… Do you know your friend’s name?”

His little brow furrowed. 

Zolf cleared his throat. “It’s Zolf, my name is Zolf.”

“Fowf!”

Both adults chuckled nervously. “And ah, what’s your name, eh?”

“Duck!”

“Duck?” Zolf raised his eyebrows at Hal, who smiled tightly.

“Dakarai, his name is Dakarai.”

“Ah, you got a good name there, chap.”

“Ya!”

Hal cleared her throat. “I, ah, he’s supposed to be with his carer, I s’pose he’s lost her again. I’m going to take him back but, um..”

“Meet you on the deck?”

“... Yea.”

15 minutes later, Hal emerged onto the deck with a wet towel slung around her neck and the top half of her coveralls pulled down and tied by the sleeves around her waist. Her tight half-top didn’t hide much, but she seemed unperturbed by this. She ran the towel across her face, down her arms and across her chest as she walked slowly to join Zolf at the crates by the railing. 

“Alright?”

Zolf nodded, watching her carefully. He was glad of his beard hiding the flush in his cheeks, mostly due to her state of undress - but he couldn’t help but look her over. She was soft around the edges, but he knew that toned muscle hid beneath her curves. What drew his attention most, though, was the inch long scar sitting low on her ribs, with the same evidence of poor treatment and healing as the one on her face. 

Slinging the towel back around her shoulders, she dropped to a seat next to him. “What do you want to know first?”

“Whatever you’re willing to share.. Is what I’d like to say, but it seems that there’s a lot that needs to be said.”

“Yea…” Hal heaved a breath, raking her hair backwards with nervous fingers. “What did Sasha fill you in on?”

“The basics. Bad marriage, went to your folks for help, and when that didn’t work you ran. Then the bloke went and said a bunch of things about you, got you run out.”

Hal chucked a bit wryly. “That’s pretty much the gist… One of the things said about me, after I was brought back from that first escape attempt.. It was partially true.” She took a deep breath and clasped her hands in front of her. “Pretty soon after they caught me, I found out I was pregnant. But that’s the only truth to it.. He used that against me, made it seem like I’d run to the arms of a lover, gotten myself a bastard. But it was his.. I told him that.” Her voice choked a bit. “I let myself believe, just for a second that what Hamid said was true… That maybe it would be better if we had children…” A sardonic chuckle broke through. “But, seems like at that point he was done with me. I wasn’t the sweet submissive aristocratic arm candy he wanted. So he got rid of me.” 

Zolf sat in incredulous silence for a moment. “I… I don’t know what to say.”

Standing, Hal paced toward the railing in agitation, then turned to face him. Her voice had turned cold, hard. “Nothing to say anymore. He didn’t want me, he didn’t want Dakarai, so he tried to-...” Hal touched her face lightly, then gestured to the scar on her torso. “These were my final gifts from him… He tried to mar me beyond loving, and tried to take away the only thing that has kept me going these past years.” She crossed her arms and turned her head away, trying to hide in vain the tears that were rising behind her eyes. 

“Hal…”

“I wrote to Hamid, you know? I nearly died out there but I made it. I bloody made it, I had my son, I kept us alive by the skin of my teeth. Then I found this place, and I wrote to him. Asked him to be my family again, told him to write to me.” Hal leaned back against the railing, holding herself. “But here we are. First time I’ve seen or heard from my brother in years, and he won’t even look me in the eye.”

Zolf sat helplessly for a moment, elbows on his knees and hands clasped in front of him. Then he stood and moved across the way to lean on the railing next to her. “Halima-”

“Please don’t call me that.”

“Hamid is a different man now. He’s done incredible things, saved lives - hell, saved the world… Made his own share of mistakes. He didn’t have much of a backbone when I met him, sure, but when it comes down to it, Hamid is someone that I depend on.”

“I’m glad to hear that, I am, Zolf, but.. I was family. Dakarai is his family and I… I was nothing in the face of losing status.” Hal sniffled and scrubbed at her eyes. “You know, I’ve heard stories about you lot, when you started out, reading them in the papers. When we still got the paper, at least. I tell them to Dakarai, about his brave Uncle Hamid that saved so many people at the Edison mansion. About Uncle Hamid’s new friends that helped him do it. And how because he’s such a brave adventurer, he’s too busy to come visit us.” A shaky inhale cut her story short. 

Zolf placed a hesitant hand on her bare shoulder, a bit awkwardly. “I think Hamid would be happy to know his nephew.. He knows a lot more now, he’s more aware of the failings of people in power. Better at seeing the world from another person’s view, ‘stead of his own. He might be willing to listen.”

Without thinking, Hal leaned into his touch, slipping under his hand and resting against his side. She felt Zolf tense beneath her, and then relax, patting her opposite shoulder with evident discomfort. “Sorry, I-”

“No, nah it’s-it’s alright. Everyone needs a hug now and again, I’m just not really very good at them, is all.”

Hal smiled softly. “I think you’re alright.”

“Heh, thanks.”

They stood like that for a long while. Zolf eventually relaxed and hung his arm over her shoulders, holding her lightly. 

Hal took private delight in his closeness, breathing in his distinct scent of leather, metal, and the wind during an ocean storm. It had been _ages_ since she’d cuddled anyone besides her son. It didn’t hurt that the arms around her belonged to a ruggedly handsome man. 

“Hal?”

“Mm?”

“Please at least tell him about Dakarai.”

She tensed. “He doesn’t deserve to know him.”

“But he’d want to.”

“...Yea. He would..”

Another day passed uneventfully. Zolf spent more time reading quietly in the room he shared with Sasha. Hamid kept to his quarters, and Azu did her best to draw a conversation about anything from anyone, but was often disappointed. 

Hal didn’t come by the room that day. She claimed an abundance of work and disappeared into the garage. 

Sasha seemed to be past the sulking stage and spent much of the day carefully testing her balance and strength under Zolf’s watchful eye. Neither had spoken for a long while before she broke the silence.

“Do you think she’ll talk to him?”

Zolf looked up from his book. “Hal, to Hamid? I dunno, Might do.”

“She talked to you, didn’t she?”

“What?”

Sasha stood upright from her stretch. “Yesterday, you were gone for like three hours. You and her talked, right? You’ve been getting pretty close as far as I can tell.”

“I mean, we’ve. Spent, time I guess. Yea.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Yea.” Turning, she stretched her arms over her head. “She tell you anything new?”

“.. Some. Yea.”

“See? Close.” Sasha peeked over her shoulder with a grin. “She didn’t tell me everything. Told you more.”

“Surely you’ve got something better to do than tease me, yea?”

“Nah, I’ve already done all that.” She flopped onto the bed. “Got nothing left than to tell you that I caught you staring when she came by at dinner yesterday, and that was _after_ you two vanished for hours in the afternoon, only to return with your face all red and your hair all ‘windblown’.”

“Now, alright, back it up, matchmaker-”

“I ain’t said nothin’ that wasn’t true.”

“Come _on_ -” 

Their escalating banter was suddenly cut off by the door swinging open. Hamid stood there, hair ruffled and jaw set. “Ah, Zolf?”

“Hamid? You alright?” Zolf asked cautiously.

“Fine, um. I want to talk to Hali- to Hal.”

The dwarf raised his eyebrows. “Alright?”

“Can you, um. Would you come with me? At least at first? It’s just, she seems to trust you and I don’t.. Well I don’t know what to say.”

“Say you’re sorry.” Sasha said, arms crossed.

“I- what?”

“Apologize.”

“Sasha, come on, leave off for a sec. Hamid,” Zolf turned back to the distressed halfling. “Look, just ask her to have dinner, alright? Olive branch, as it were. Then you two can talk privately. You don’t need me there, this is between you two.”

“But-”

“No ‘but’, go. She’s probably down in the garage again.”

“I… a-alright then.” Slowly, Hamid stepped out and closed the door. With growing trepidation, he made his way down the hall to the garage. He pushed his way inside and scanned the room, his breath coming quick and shallow. 

As luck would have it, Hal was on the ground, digging through a toolbox that was shoved against a nearby wall. 

“Um, ahem.” Hamid nervously cleared his throat. 

Her movements stilled, then she threw a quick glance over her shoulder. “Need somethin’?”

“Um, I hoped that perhaps it would be amenable to you to, ah, dine with me tonight? Privately?” Hamid fiddled anxiously with the collar of his shirt, then his cuffs. 

“To talk?”

“Ah. Yes.”

The long pause nearly suffocated him. 

“Alright.”

“Ah, s-splendid, then I will see you then, I suppose.”

“Yea.” 

That evening, one of the mechanics fetched Hamid from his room and led him through a long series of corridors, deeper into the building than they’d been before. He led him to a room at the end of a hall, then left with a nod. 

Hamid cleared his throat, adjusted his dinner jacket, and knocked nervously. The door opened promptly, and Halima appeared behind it. She swept eyes over his outfit - impeccable, of course - with the ghost of a smile, then stepped back to allow him in. 

The room was largely utilitarian. A plain bed pushed back against a far corner, a small dresser, and a writing desk. A table stood opposite those, with food and chairs for two, and a single lit candle. 

“Not your usual taste, but it’s what I’ve got.”

Hamid whirled to protest. “Oh, no, this is just fine-”

“Ribbing you, Ham. You can’t tell me those jokers you travel with have let you go without a good ribbing?” Halima stood with one hand on her hip and eyebrows raised. She had cleaned up well, with a colorful sari-style dress, traditional kohl eyeliner, and her hair clipped back. She looked every inch the al-Tahan she’d once been...

Hamid chuckled a bit. “Ah, heh, no, they certainly haven’t.”

The two sat down to their meal and ate largely in silence. The atmosphere was tense, but not angry or cold. Just that of two friends become strangers trying desperately to reconnect. 

“Hamid, there’s something you should know about.” 

Hamid looked quickly up from his meal. “Ah, yes?”

His sister stood and stepped away to the dresser, retrieving a book from a top drawer. “This probably isn’t the right place to start this conversation but…” She slid it across the table as she took her seat. 

The book was plain and a bit ragged, with a dark leather cover and pages sticking out at odd angles. It had no ornamentation, no title. Just “Dakarai” written in ink at the bottom right corner. 

Hamid drew it closer to him, glancing up at her impassive face. “Ah, this is. This is about..?”

“Sort of. You’ll see.”

With nervous fingers, he opened it. 

The first page was a piece of parchment that had clearly been sewn into the cover by hand. It had looping cursive writing in the center. “Remember to remember the good.”

“One of the matrons, we all call her Nana, gave this to me when I first came here. I was an angry, hateful mess.. She said a lot of the folks here have that problem. So she got me this, told me to keep the good in it, help me remember.”

Hamid nodded mutely, then turned the page. His breath immediately died in his throat. 

These pages had pictures pasted in. The first was Halima. She looked.. Bad. Emaciated, with sunken cheeks and limp hair. Her face was criss-crossed with thick black stitches. But she was laying in a clean bed, arms draped over her middle, and she was smiling, the best she could, with an elderly halfling woman sitting beside her. 

“That’s Nana. Saved my life, she did.”’

The next photo was much the same - except for the sleeping, curly-haired bundle laying in Halima’s arms. 

“You-”

“Dakarai is his name.”

Hamid’s hands shook, and he dropped the book onto the table. “Hal-”

“He’s as legitimate as they come, too. But that didn't matter much to Fadil. Didn’t matter much at all.”

Tears were welling in Hamid’s eyes now as he pushed the book away. He buried his face in his hands. “I didn’t- you didn’t say- oh _gods_ , Halima-”

“Please don’t call me that, Hamid.”

“Your aversion to your given name is _not_ my most relevant concern right now, you have a _child_! This picture, you look half _dead_ , what _is_ this?” Hamid stood, his voice pitching to panic. 

Hal stayed seated, crossing one leg over the other and folding her hands atop her knee. “ _That_ is what I went through, Hamid. I was left on the streets to die, with nothing.”

“But-”

“No, no buts, Hamid.” Hal stood, planting her hands on the table with a bang. “I came to you, I _begged_ our family for help, but you threw me right back to the wolves. And when Fadil decided he was done with me, he turned you even farther against me and you _listened._ You bloody _believed_ him. The spineless coward you are, you just turned your eyes away, kept your head down.” Her voice broke, shattered with the soul behind her eyes.

“I-”

“The moment I was alone he tried to _kill_ me, Hamid. He carved my face and tried to _cut_ our son from my body and he _left_ me to die!” Tears flowed freely down her cheeks now, and her shaking fingers were fisted in the table cloth. 

“You _abandoned_ me, Hamid Saleh Haroun al-Tahan, along with the rest of your insufferable family.” 

Hamid met her wild, teary glare with wide horrified eyes. He wavered where he stood, then dropped suddenly into his chair, holding his head. “I can’t…. I don’t… I couldn’t…”

Pushing off from the table, Hal strode to the opposite side of her room, raking her hands through her hair wildly. “You could’ve, you didn’t,” she muttered furiously. “Nothing more to it.”

A heavy, suffocating silence fell over the pair, broken only by bitten-off sobs and frantic breaths. A few minutes went by, slowed, dragging into eons. Eventually, the cries quieted, and they just… breathed. 

The sound of rustling parchment made Hal turn slightly. Hamid had drawn the book close to him again and was slowly turning pages, wiping at wet eyes and sniffling quietly. She watched tears roll openly down his cheeks with each new photograph. Every one of them she knew by heart - his expression went soft at Dakarai’s first pictures with the whole crew of the compound, then it lit up with his first birthday, then chuckled at the mess he’d made of his second birthday cake. She watched her brother cycle through every emotion, still weeping openly. 

Then he came to the final pages, where they began to turn blank. He turned two or three in quiet disappointment, then gasped audibly at what he found behind them. 

An al-Tahan family photo. One of her and Hamid as tweens, grasping each other tight and grinning shamelessly. One taken from a hiding place of Hamid discovering something unpleasant in his bed. Then cutouts from newspapers - The London Rangers, in those early days, saving the day, over and over. Hamid the Hero. 

“Those are his favorite bedtime stories.”

Hamid looked up helplessly. “You.. you told him about me?”

“Of course I did. I can’t tell a child his family doesn’t care. So he knows you, Saira, Aziza... He knows his heroic Uncle Hamid that saved lives at the Edison mansion. His silly Uncle Hamid that lost the prank war of ‘63. His kind Uncle Hamid that has such a merry band of friends that travels the world… Keeping it safe. And that’s why he’s just too busy to come see us.” 

Hamid drew in a shuddering sob, gripping the book. “Oh gods…” He pressed it to his forehead and just... _cried._ Shoulders shaking, back hunched. 

Hal lowered herself onto her bed off shaking knees, pressing her knuckles to her teeth. 

“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry... I’m so sorry, Hal, I’m _sorry_ ,” Hamid whimpered. “I _wanted_ to stop them, I _couldn’t_ stop them, I thought I tried, I could’ve tried _harder,_ oh _gods_ …”

Hal couldn’t take it anymore. She rushed across the room and threw her arms around her little brother. He clutched at her back in desperation, as if she’d suddenly change her mind. His chair slipped from beneath him and clattered to the side and they sank in a tangled heap to the floor, holding each other like they were the last breath of fresh air they could get - or the first they’d had in a very, very long time. 

They knelt there, weeping, tears of relief, of sorrow, grieving lost time. 

When their legs began to cramp and tears were long since dried, they slowly separated, still clutching each other's hands. Hal briefly rubbed away the tear tracks on Hamid’s cheeks, smiling weakly. 

He returned her smile briefly, but it fell away to concern as he raised his own hand to her cheek, fluttering fingertips across the puckered, knotted skin there. 

Hal held very still, watching him intently. 

He traced the trail of violence down her face to the corner of her mouth with shaking fingers. “That… _bastard_.” Reaching her lips, he made his way back up, almost to her ear. “This side… o-of your face it..”

“Doesn’t really work anymore. He…” Hal paused, gauging his shaky calm. “When.. In the marriage bed. He wanted me to smile. Made him angry that I wouldn’t. So when I saw him that last time, he...”

Hamid pressed his shaking palm against her face, tangling twitching fingers in her hair. “So he… gods _damn him_ , damn him to _hell._ ”

“Glad we’re on the same page now,” Hal forced a chuckle. 

Hamid could barely manage a smile, but he made an effort nonetheless. 

“The point, Hamid, is that I made it. I made it, through all that. I’m happy here, and Dakarai is too, and now.. Well, he gets to meet you, if you want.”

“I-I do! Yes, I want to meet him, definitely, yes.”

Hal struggled to her feet, tugged skirts out of her way with a mumbled curse and wiping smeared kohl from underneath her eyes. Then she held out a hand to Hamid, who took and gratefully and clambered upright, straightening his suit. 

She checked the clock on the bedside table. “... Bedtime’s in 20. Want to help me with story time?”

“I would, I w-would love that.”

After taking a moment to freshen up, they walked down the hall hand in hand. Hal led the way to a couple doors down, tapped, then opened it. “Alright Nana?”

“Ah, looks who’s here little bird!” The old woman’s voice was drowned in Dakarai’s excited squeal, and she dissolved into laughter as he stumbled and tottered across the room to his mother. But before he reached her, he stopped, wavered, and fell to his bottom with an unconcerned bounce. He wasn’t staring at her anymore, but at Hamid. He waved chubby arms curiously, then pointed.

“Unk ‘Ami!”

Hal stepped forward and scooped him off the floor with a flourish, sending him laughing so he couldn’t see his Uncle Hamid cry.

Quickly, Hamid got himself under control and stepped further into the room, nodding with any remaining dignity at Nana, who stood with a knowing smile on her wrinkled face. “Ah, hello Dakarai! It’s, ah, lovely to meet you at last!”

Hal turned, holding Dakarai to face his uncle. His round face was alight with joy, and he reached frantically toward him. “Unk ‘Ami!” He wriggled in his mother’s arms, leaning out towards him. 

Hal raised her eyebrows in a quiet question, to which Hamid nodded quickly. “Ah, want to come over here, then?” Hesitantly, he held out his hands for his nephew, letting his sister rearrange his grip as she settled the baby in his arms. 

“There we are, Ducky-love. Told you he’d be around someday.” Hal nodded to Nana, then began to guide Hamid to the door. “Cheers, Nana. Might take the day tomorrow, you do the same, ay?”

“Of course, dear, glad to hear it.”

The little family made their way down the hall to Dakarai’s nursery. Hal guided Hamid with a gentle hand; his attention had been entirely absorbed by the babbling boy. 

The rest of their evening was filled with that joyful chatter as Dakarai settled right into wrapping Hamid around his little pudgy fingers. He showed Hamid his favorite toys, introducing them with varying levels of coherence. He showed him his favorite book and insisted it be read by “Unk Ami!” this time. He squealed in utter delight when the story came to life above the pages, prompting his mother to roll her eyes and declare that she'd never be able to get him to bed again. 

And when he finally dropped off to sleep with Hamid’s hand in his hair and his mother lips on his cheek, Dakaria was quite sure he'd never had so much fun in all his tiny life. 

Halima drew Hamid by the hand to the door, smiling softly at the way her brother so reluctantly tore his eyes from her son. They slipped out into the hall, shutting the door quietly behind them, and wandered down the corridor.

After a moment of silence, Hamid squeezed Hal’s hand. “He’s - he’s wonderful, Hal.”

Hal squeezed back. “I know.”

All too soon, they stood outside the door to Hamid’s room. They stood there for a moment, hand in hand. 

“We… We have a lot more to talk about, I think,” Hamid murmured. 

“Yeah. But it was a start, I reckon.” Hal pulled him into another tight hug, clutching at the back of his coat. “You’re a prick and a fool, Hamid.” At his muffled protest, she chuckled and pinched the tip of his pointed ear. “Just another word for brother I guess.”

Hamid playfully shoved her backward, breaking the hug without heat. 

“I’ll, ah..” Hal tugged thoughtfully at a strand of hair. “Lunch tomorrow? With the whole group and, ah. Dakarai could join?”

Hamid’s eyebrows leapt up and a smile spread across his face. “I think that sounds lovely!”

“Then, dinner again? Me and you?”

“I think that would be excellent, yes.”

“Right, then. Until tomorrow.”

“Until tomorrow.”


End file.
